HILLSBOROUGH RAIDERS (14-12)After coming into the season with pretty high expectations, the Raiders seemed like they were in trouble midway through January. Sitting at just 3-7, head coach Ian Progin’s club was in the midst of a six-game slide that started with an embarrassing 31-point loss to eventual Group IV champion Lenape.
But a couple of narrow wins over division rivals Montgomery and Bridgewater seemed to wake Hillsborough up, as the Raiders went on a six-game winning streak that included a monumental upset of Immaculata.
The season ended with a heartbreaking last-second lost to West Winsdor South in the Central Group IV quarterfinals, but Hillsborough will likely be a breakout candidate again as they return nearly everybody and should boast a trio three-year starters.

WATCHUNG HILLS WARRIORS (14-13)Oh, how close the Warriors came to turning head coach Justin Salton’s first season in Warren from a borderline pedestrian one into a memorable one.
Salton got a lot out of a team that lost plenty over the offseason, but just missed reeling in the big one in a 50-49 overtime loss to Ridge in the Somerset County Tournament. The defending champions had the Red Devils on the ropes at halftime, but couldn’t quite hold on as Colin Heinle’s potential game-winner fell short in the extra session.
The Delaware West Division proved to be a thorn in the Warriors’ side all season, accounting for a quarter of their 13 losses. The true test for Salton will be his sophomore campaign, as he loses centerpieces Jesse Ross and Zach O’Brien.

FRANKLIN WARRIORS (10-13)
More than anyone else in the division, Franklin skipper Joe Whalen rode a roller coaster this year with his team, which only had one winning streak of more than two games, but only one losing streak within the same parameters.
More than anything, the Warriors seemed to beat the teams they should but lose the rest. The highlight of the season was either a season sweep of a solid Hillsborough team, or perhaps a Somerset County Tournament win over Montgomery to avenge an ugly loss a week earlier.
Despite finishing three games under .500 and missing the state tournament, Franklin did improve on its six-win campaign in Odie Paige’s final season, and will have star Barry Wilson back for his junior campaign in Whalen’s second season.

MONTGOMERY COUGARS (10-15)
The Cougars might just be the most successful team relative to their final record in the entire area. Half of their wins for head coach Kris Grundy came during a key five-game winning streak in late January that propelled them into the state tournament, including commendable victories over Gill. St Bernard’s, Watchung Hills and Franklin.
But their biggest win might have come a month later, when they upset Colts Neck, 38-36, in the Central Group IV tournament. You aren’t going to find many teams win a state game but finish five games under .500. But in an unremarkable year in Skillman, that little stat is certainly impressive.

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN PANTHERS (9-18)
Even in a rare off-year, it was tough to keep this county power down. Under head coach Gene McAteer, fresh off a successful run at Watchung Hills, the Baby Panthers struggled mightily out of the gate, losing eight of their first nine. They finished winless in the division, missed states by a mile and earned a middling seed in the Somerset County Tournament.
But even this young club found a way to shine under the lights of counties, pulling off road upsets of Rutgers Prep and Somerville to reach the semifinals as the 12th seed and giving McAteer something to work with next winter. They have a strong core coming back, and though they aren’t going to magically appear back on top of the county, don’t be surprised if they have a little more bite.